Means for marking a toric-lens axis



Sept. 13,1927. 1, 42,575

L. W. BUGBEE mums FOR MARKING VA TORIC mans AXIS Filed April 5, 1925 INVENTOR. zazvflxv W 54/0555.

A TTORNEYS.

a t Sept. 13 "1 927. I

UNIT D ST TE g 1 1,642,575 PATENT OFFICE.

' nucmn w. BU-GBEE, or rnniANAPoLIs, INDIANA, assienonry vrnsnn ASSIGN- MENTS, ro CONTINENTAL OPTICAL CORPORATION, ornnw YORK, n. Y., A qoaf ronA'rIoN or DELAWARE.-

me ns ronmanxme A ironic-mans AXIS.

Application filed April 3,

fThe' object of this invention is to effect the accurate marking of the axes of toricand like I lenses. The method heretofore employed, which has been called'the Flight method, used when the lens is finished, has 7 not been accurate for obvious reasons.

lVhenthe. blank was semi-finished, some sort of disassociated measuring means has been required. I I r 1 j The chief 1 feature of this invention consists "in locating the axis of the lens from the'lensholder onwhich'i-t isground or polished or from indications thereon and this becomes absolutely; accurate, because there is I a necessary agreement, brought about by the grinding [and polishing of the lenses, be

to aspotting wheel on which the lenses are tween the axes thereof and some indicating part of or means on the lens holder. jAnother feature is the application ofa marker that'is heldincertainrelation" to the lens holderon which it "is ground or polished or indicating 'means thereon for the accurate "marking of the" axes of the toric lenses.

' Various means maybe employed for accomplishing the ob]ect of th s invention. One formof such means consists in mounting a marker adjustable in certain relation :held while'they were being ground or treated, whereby the equatorial axes or the "axes in "thee'quatorial line of thelens-es are caused to agree with the equatorial line or diameter of the spottingflwheel. In making I vatureas the base curve of the lenses, and

these lenses the [surface ofthe holder is spherical and is substantially the same curit is customary for the equatorial line of the grinder and the lens holder to agree and alsoto be substantially midway between the sides of the holder, although this latter feature is not'necessary. -;Therefore the equatorial line of the lens when ground will necessarily be ,in agreement with the equatorial line of the lens holder. In this way the equatorial axes of a plurality of lenses can be accurately marked and be free from all errors arising from the usual method and means for marking the axes of said lenses. g

The full nature of the invention willbe understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and 192s. swarm. 629,735. v

of one form of machine for marking toric lenses, when they are mounted on a spotting wheeler like holder. Fig. 2'is an endelevationofFigl.

marking of'the axes'of toric lenses and espein utilizingthe means on whichthe toric lenses aremounted while the lens wasbelng The process hereinvolved for the accurate 'cially the equatorial axes thereof, consists 7 ground, the -lens holder and support, for in- 1 dicating the-axes of the toric lenses to be marked and the furtherste'p in the process of ma'rkmgthe axes of the toric lenses by means-held infi-xed relation with such lens holder or support. Such process willbeunderstood from the following explanation of the drawings herein,showingthree means for carrying out said process.

In the device shown in-Figs. 1 and 2, there is a frame consisting of a base'support 10 and au'upright 11 secured thereto integral inthe draw-ings,but-the manner of securing thein together is immaterial. The upright has -a-bearing 12 'for" an arbor 13 mounted therein, adapted to receive a spotting wheel law 1th a transverselyfcurved periphery on which a numberof toric lens blanks 15 are secured. The mainportion of the arbor 13 is'substantially of the same dimensions as Fig. 1 The ends of the arbor are reduced, as shown. 'A collar 16 is held by a-screw' thebearing 12, as shownby dotted'lines in 17 on one reduced end of the arbor and a nut 18 screws on the other reduced end of the arbor against a washer 19 that engages the hub of the spotting wheel. The lens holder surface of the spotting wheel is spherical and has substantially the same curvature as the base curve of the lenses as shown. The equatorial curvature of the lens is determmed-bythe circum- :ferential curvature of the spotting wheel, wh le'the meridional curvature 1s determined by v the transverse curvature. of the. grinder, not shown, and the equatorial axes of the lenses or the axes in the equatorial line thereof are determined by the grinder and lens holder but when arranged in a customary manner as stated, it is substantially midway between "the sides of the holder and coincides with the equatorial lines of the holder. 7

After the blanks for the toric lenses have been secured by cement, not shown,.on the spotting wheel and ground by a grinder. not shownfthe spotting wheel is removed with the lenses still thereon and placed in the marking device so that it can be rotated by hand.

The marker is i'nounted on the upper end oi the upright 11 by means of an arm being elamped in a split hearing 21 that is elainped bv a nut 22. The arm 20 has a head 23 on it with a vertical hole through it he. a marker rod 2t which is \ert'ioally recipr cable therein and is forced upward by a spring 25 surrouinling said rod and lying between the head .23 and a knob 26 on the upper end of the rod Ql. A collar 27, on the lower part of the rod 2st, limits the upward nioi'emei'it hv engzin'ing the head 223. When the rod not. prei-ssed dtnvnward, the collar .37 lUlitb' against the head 23. la the drawings, the rod 24: is shown in this iition when .it is pressed downward. The rod Qt is held from turning by a pin that projects into a vertieal groove 2t), shown by dotted lines in Fig. l. The lower end of the rod Q-l is threaded to reeeive a holder 38 for a diamond Z-ll which does the marking when it is pressed downward, as shown in the drawings.

The marker is adjustable, by the means above described, laterally of the spotting wheel and lenses and it is set so that the axis of themarlnr rod B l, and the diamond. will correspond with the etpiatorial diameter of the spottingwheel and lenses. This equatorial diameter lies mid my between the sides of the spotting wheel, and, therefore, the axes ot the lenses can be accurately marked, as shown by the marks thereonf This line hounds the plane at greatest diameter through the wheel. The line also registers with the optical centers of the series oi lenses. The opti *al centers, like the equatorial axes ot the lenses, are meehanirally determined by the wheel and grinder, and not by the operator, and oil necessity agree with the etpnitorial line of the wheel. The optieal centers, as well as the equatorial axes, are at the thickest part: ol' the lenses. Thus, as seen in Fig. 1, the marker is set to touch the highest or outermost point of the lens, and which, it the wheel be true, is substantially mid 'ay between the sides thereof. \Vith torie lenses thus formed on the spottingwvlieell and kept thereon until marked,

the operator has no dilliculty in locating the eipiatorial axis because it agrees with the correspoiuling axis of the wheel and the optical centers ol the lenses.

The invention claimed is:

1. Means for marking torio and like lenses,

ineludinn a spotting wheel having a transvet-rel ourved peripheral surface on which the lenses are seeuriul with their base curves adjacent the spotting wheel. means for rot-atively simporting said, wheel, a lens marker, means on which the marker mounted adjacent the peripher ol the spotting wheel, and means tor siu portine said marker carrying means which latter nieans movable. radi all oi the wheel towards and from the Same 'u a line that will interseet the equatorial ii e ot the wheel.

ullttlllp for marking torio and like lenses inch line: a spotting wheel having a transwel t'lll'Yt. l peripheral surtlaoe on which th lens are secured with their base curves adjacent the quitting wheel, an arbor tor rotatively supporting; said wheel, a marker l'rain mounted rigidly in relation to said wheel arbor and extendii'ur perpendicular therefrom. a marker holder novably mounted in said 't'ramo so as to he moved for adjustinent in a line parallel with the axis oil? the wheel arliior. and a markermounted on said nan-her holder which extends and is movable radially ot' the wheel and towards and from the same in a line that intcrseets the equatorial line of the wheel.

21. Means for marking torie andliltelenses including a frame, an arbor mounted in said lraine, a spotting wheel. rotiatively mounted. on the arbor and having' a transversely curved spherical surtaee on which the lenses are secured with their base eurv-es adjacent the spotting wheel, a lens marker arbor mounted in said 'lrame so as to he moved for :uljustinent in a line parallel to the axis oil the wheel arbor, a lens mark-er earriedby said lens inarher arbor and extending radiallv ol the wheel and movable towards the same in a line that interseets the equatorial line oi? the wheel, and a spring for retractinn' said niz'irlier trout the wheel alter the marker has been operated.

In witness whereof, l have hereunto allixed my signature.

LUCIAN W. BUG BEE. 

